Research Blog #1

After doing some research on different articles about projection mapping I decided to write about the new “Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle” projection mapped experience. This new interactive experience is apart of “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” park in Orlando, Florida. This experience is created by using lights and special effects to bring to life the villains and creatures in Harry Potter. They claim that it’s so real and “scary enough to make you throw up your butter beer.” This article reminded me of our current project not solely because of projection mapping but the interactive element that we need to include in ours. The article prides the immersive experience in its ability to create a real life simulation. While we are not doing that exactly for our project, we have to have an interactive element with ours. Seeing the videos of the new Harry Potter attraction inspired me to want to further my knowledge on projection mapping. It also shows you the capabilities of projection mapping and how it can create such a real feeling. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter also includes two other immersive projection mapping experiences called the “Nightmare Lights at Hogwarts Castle” and “The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts castle.” After learning the basics of projection mapping through this project it makes me appreciate all the work that goes into these interactive experiences much more than before. The level we are working at in class is already something I thought I would never learn and now seeing the capabilities of this digital art work makes me excited to learn about this more in depth.